Siddharth Varadarajan in Wall Street Journal Asia:
At first blush it may seem a paradox to some that India, the world’s largest democracy, is also home to one of the world’s most politically influential Communist movements outside of China. But India’s coalition of Communist parties, known as the Left Front, isn’t disappearing any time soon. They may very well gain influence after the results of India’s national election are announced May 16.
If they do, the Left Front could reshape Indian policy abroad as well as at home. The Communists can be expected to call for policies that India’s elites, who aspire to greater liberalization of the economy and closer corporate and strategic ties with the U.S., may well find unpalatable. They might seek to slow down the pace of military-to-military and nuclear cooperation between the two countries. The Left Front would also want the government to build closer economic and political ties with Russia, China and perhaps even Iran.
The Left Front has gained power not so much because of the popularity of its program but because it has positioned itself as a kingmaker between India’s two largest parties, the Congress Party of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party. Although the Left Front has never held more than 12% of seats in Parliament, it has wielded more influence over the past five years than ever before. More:
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